Saving Santa
by fey of the forest
Summary: It's Christmas Eve at Camelot and Merlin is doing a list of chores when he hears a soft tinkling of bells. As a sleigh falls from the sky and Merlin goes to investigate,he meets someone special. Previously posted on the merlin2008 forum


**Hey guys**

**Just a festive one shot for you all.**

**Hope you enjoy**

**Please r&r**

**And also, Merry Christmas and a Happy New year =)**

**Fey of the forest**

A tiny flake of frozen water drifted slowly, slowly down from the heavens alongside its companions, happily dancing in the soft, cold breeze that blew through the dark and rich purple sky. The snowflake's friends fell and stuck to whatever they touched, be they trees, houses, people… And in the town of Camelot the snow was making the castle look more like something out of a fairytale. Very few people could appreciate this view just yet though, for they were all tucked up asleep in bed, awaiting Christmas morn. All was quiet in the town and the castle, and it was likely to stay like that for more than a few hours yet. A floppy haired man envied them, wanting nothing more than to be tucked up asleep in his own bed, for it was cold outside.

The snowflakes stuck to his hair and clothes as he crossed the courtyard with his arms piled high with clothes ready for tomorrow's festivities. It may have been Christmas Eve but that didn't mean that he had any less jobs to do. Oh no, Arthur just had to go and give him an even longer list of things to do. He knew that this time of year was always busy, especially the day before, but this was not fair. It was almost as if the Prince didn't know about the spirit of Christmas, all joy and peace to mankind. Then again, as the Prince had said when Merlin had complained, Christmas was a time of giving, and that was exactly what Arthur had done. He had gone and given him a list of chores to do. 'Think of it as an early Christmas present' Arthur had told him, but some Christmas present this was, Merlin grumbled. He wasn't going to get much sleep that evening, not with all this lot to do. Even with the aid of his magic Merlin doubted that he would manage to get everything finished in time for the feast tomorrow. There were boots to be cleaned, shirts to be mended, buttons to be polished… The list was endless and Merlin had the feeling that Arthur took great joy in leaving everything to the last minute and seeing if his servant could do everything in time. The warlock also had the feeling that he'd have even more to do tomorrow, regardless of the fact that it would be Christmas day. Shivering in the cold and too busy grumbling to notice the blanket of pure white snow form at his feet, Merlin hurried to Gaius' chambers where he knew there would be a nice warm fire for him to sit in front of.

It was getting rather late and the physician had long since retired to his bed. Having moved to his room to do his chores once he'd put a warming spell on the walls, Merlin was hard at work. He was managing to do five or six jobs at once with his magic, and though he knew Gaius would not be happy if he saw this, the warlock knew he had no choice if he wanted to get any sleep and have a chance of enjoying tomorrow. Whoever it was that said that men couldn't multitask obviously hadn't thought of Merlin. Feeling rather tired, Merlin knew that he couldn't let himself fall asleep. He had way too much to do before morning and he couldn't afford to lose any time, otherwise he would be late. Besides, although it was Christmas Merlin had no idea just how Arthur would react if he found that he hadn't got an outfit ready for the feast that Uther was hosting.

Apparently the magic of Christmas was the only type of magic that was accepted here in Camelot. Either that or because it was a time for peace Uther had been forced to accept it. Merlin was certain that Gaius had mentioned something about it being Igraine's favourite time of year too which would also help to explain it. Beginning to mend yet another of Arthur's shirts, Merlin could have sworn that he had heard something, but shrugged it off as he thought he was hearing things. It came again just a moment later. A faint jingling of metal, but nothing like the sound of keys. It was more of a tinkling sound, like a stream trickling over some rocks in the middle of summer. Intrigued, Merlin peered out of his window to see something swoop perilously close to his room before he heard a crash.

It was the dead of night and everyone but Merlin was fast asleep. None of them but him had heard anything and so they slept on. An intrigued Merlin however stopped what he was doing and decided that he would go and investigate. After all, if it was another threat to Camelot then he was about the only one who would be able to stop it single handed. Carefully opening his door so as to not make a sound, the young warlock tiptoed past the sleeping physician and left the room, slowly going down the stairs. Wrapping his jacket tight around him for it was even more colder than it had been earlier, Merlin found that the whole of the castle was covered in a blanket of snow. It did look quite beautiful, but he had no time to admire it just yet. He needed to find out what it was that had fallen and find out if they were friend or foe. Running as quickly and as quietly as he could, he turned out into the courtyard and found that he didn't have to go any further.

The sleigh was the first thing that he noticed, the wooden mode of transportation having been upturned in the fall. There were boxes of all colours tied with ribbon spread across the snow covered cobbles from where they had fallen from their sacks and Merlin wondered who they were for. From what he could tell in the moonlight, the sleigh was bright red and had gold trimmings and decorations. Stood upright, in contrast to the sleigh that they were harnessed to, were a group of about six antlered deer. Merlin couldn't help but stare at them in amazement, not having had the chance to get so close to these animals before. They seemed to be responsible for pulling the sleigh and the young warlock wondered if these creatures were somehow magical. After all, they and the sleigh appeared to have fallen from the sky, but surely they couldn't fly? They didn't have wings.

And it was then that Merlin saw the man himself. A little dazed and dusted with snow, the man who was responsible for so many smiling faces on Christmas Day was busy trying to put the sleigh right. Dressed in an outfit of fine red velvet, the cuffs of the coat trimmed with white fur whilst his belt and boots were as black as coal. His figure was quite round and jolly, and Merlin noted that the man had a long, thick white beard and white hair, with his eyes sparkling. This was someone very special, but as Merlin hadn't heard of Santa Clause for a long time, it didn't register with him who it was. Deciding that this man was no harm to Camelot, the warlock smiled a little as he began to gather all the presents that had fallen onto the floor and put them back in their sacks.

"How can we deliver all these presents with the sleigh being in this condition? How can we fly? Where's our magic gone?" Merlin heard the man in red sigh and knew immediately that there was more that he could do to help. He could fix the sleigh and help them fly using his magic, and help them to finish their delivery.  
>"I can help you." Merlin said, breaking the silence of the night. The man in red only just seemed to realise that Merlin was there, but he instantly smiled, knowing that this boy was definitely on the nice list.<br>"Thank you." He smiled as Merlin did his work. First the sleigh was set to rights, all the scratches and damage disappearing. Then the presents were all put back inside the sleigh before Merlin went to make it fly. Before he even had chance to say the words, the man held out his hand and the warlock took it, finding himself sitting next to the jolly man.

He hadn't expecting for them to rise up in the air so suddenly and the ground slowly melted away beneath them. Looking down at the ground below, Merlin watched as the town of Camelot slowly faded from view, the huge castle soon becoming but a small dot. Suddenly aware of just high up they were, Merlin held on tight and stared at the reindeer who were pulling the sleigh. It seemed that he had been wrong. Not all creatures needed wings to fly and this was a prime example. Feeling on top of the world, though also quite nervous, Merlin was filled with awe and joy as he looked down at the valley below. Very few people could say that they had seen this view, and it looked gorgeous. The snow reflected the moonlight to make it seem like the valley had been carved out of icing and the river looked like a thin wavy strip of mirror. He would never forget that sight.

All too soon though his ride came to an end and they arrived back at Camelot. Saddened to have to leave, Merlin thanked him for such a magical experience and watched as the reindeer, the sleigh and Santa Clause disappeared into the night, the soft jingling of bells ringing in the air.  
>"Ho ho ho…Merry Christmas!" The man in red called before he was just a speck in the distance. Returning to his room, Merlin was surprised to find that all of the jobs that Arthur had given him had been done. Smiling, he flopped down on the bed and was closed his eyes for just a few moments.<p>

-  
>When he opened them again, he found the morning bells ringing and thought that his flight last night had all been a dream. Sitting up and rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he found them resting on something. In the corner of his room sat a small red box, tied with a gold ribbon, and looking very similar to the ones that he had seen in the sleigh. Opening it, he grinned when he found a green scarf and put it around his neck before going to go and see the Prince. Carrying his outfit for the feast, Merlin opened the door to Arthur's room to find the Prince in fine spirits and was given just one job to do that day. His heart had sank at first when he had heard those words, but he soon smiled. He was to have fun at the feast that day, and that was one thing that Merlin was willing to accept with pleasure. Perhaps this Christmas was going to be better than he had thought after all…<p> 


End file.
